Ken Bates

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name = Ken Bates


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birth_name = Kenneth William Bates
birth_date = birth date and age|1931|12|4
birth_place = Ealing, London, United Kingdom
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nationality = British
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known_for = chairman of Leeds United A.F.C.
former owner and chairman of Chelsea F.C.
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occupation = Businessman
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Kenneth William "Ken" Bates (born 4 December 1931) is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman of Leeds United Football Club Limited and Leeds United A.F.C., Bates was previously chairman and major shareholder of Chelsea F.C. from 1982 until 2004. An outspoken character who relishes conflict, [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/3528775.stm |title=Thoughts of chairman Ken |accessdate=2006-10-31 |date=21 January 2005 |work=Phil McNulty |publisher=BBC Sport ] he is one of the most controversial figures in English football.

Biography

Bates was born in Ealing in 1931. His mother died shortly afterwards and his father absconded, so he was raised by his grandparents in a council flat. He grew up supporting Queens Park Rangers but was unsuccessful in pursuing a playing career in football. He made his personal fortune in the haulage industry and later moved into quarrying, ready-mix concrete and dairy farming. He was involved with various other enterprises during the 1960s and 1970s, including a project on the British Virgin Islands and setting up the Irish Trust Bank, which was completed in 1976, leaving thousands of investors out-of-pocket. [cite web |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4385252-103,00.html |title=Interview with Ken Bates |accessdate=2006-08-25 |date=1 April 2002 |work=Roy Collins |publisher=Guardian Unlimited ] Twice married, he has five children. He spent five years as chairman of Oldham Athletic during the 1970s and also had a spell at Wigan Athletic.

He currently resides in Monaco as a tax exile. He is however, under UK law, allowed to visit the country for a maximum of 90 days in a calendar year. [cite web |url=http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/faqs_general.htm#3nr |title=HM Revenue & Customs: Non-Residents: Frequently Asked Questions |accessdate=2007-07-05 |publisher=HMRC ]

Chelsea F.C.

Bates purchased Chelsea F.C. in 1982 for £1. When he purchased the club they were in serious financial trouble, and threatened with relegation to the Third Division, as well being tarnished by a notorious hooligan element among their support. He fought (and, through sheer persistence, eventually won) a long-running legal battle with property developers, Marler Estates, who had purchased a substantial portion of the freehold of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home ground. He re-united the freehold with the club (and thus secured its future) after Marler's bankruptcy following a market crash, which allowed him to do a deal with their banks and create the Chelsea Pitch Owners, an organisation set-up to stave off future developers. He also did much to rid the club of its hooligan problem, made a public show of support for Paul Canoville who, as Chelsea's first black player, had been targeted for racist abuse by a section of the support, and attempted to make the club more financially viable.

Bates' time at Chelsea was nothing if not controversial. Nine managers came and went, several of whom were sacked in contentious circumstances. [cite news | date=1998-02-13 | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1998/02/13/sfnche13.html | title=Gullit consigned to history | publisher=The Telegraph | accessdate=2007-02-05 | author=] [cite news | date=2000-09-12 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/922110.stm | title=Vialli sacked as Chelsea boss | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-02-05 | author=] He alienated many of the club's supporters by proposing that electric fences be used to keep them off the pitch - though in the event his planning application was rejected by the GLC on the grounds of health and safety - and then by banning several members of Chelsea's successful 1970s side, such as Ron Harris and Peter Osgood, for perceived criticism of his methods. His match-day programme notes, in which he often attacked various individuals, were also controversial. In 2002 he was sued for libel by Chelsea supporter David Johnstone after describing fans' group, the "Chelsea Independent Supporters Association", as parasites; Bates eventually settled out of court. [cite book | author=Glanvill, Rick | title=Chelsea FC: The Official Biography - The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years| publisher=Headline Book Publishing Ltd| year=2006| id=ISBN 0-7553-1466-2, p. 108]

During the 1990s, he was involved in a bitter dispute with Chelsea benefactor and vice-chairman, Matthew Harding, over the club's future direction, which led to Harding being banned from the Chelsea boardroom. The dispute was ultimately only ended by Harding's death in a helicopter crash in 1996. Bates sparked further controversy by later describing Harding as an "evil man". [cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/10/20/sfnche20.html |title=Fans upset over Bates' comments |accessdate=2006-08-18 |date=20 October 1997 |work=John Ley |publisher=The Daily Telegraph ] In January 2000, following a 5th Round FA Cup tie defeat by Chelsea for his Leicester City side, Martin O'Neill voiced the thoughts of many in a press room outburst. O'Neill said: 'On top of everything, you get footballing cretins like Ken Bates writing in his programme notes that we would come along and play for penalties.' Bates' response was it "takes one to know one."

By the end of his chairmanship Stamford Bridge had been substantially refurbished and modernised, while he had become (at the time) Chelsea's most successful chairman. The club had won several major trophies and were consistently finishing in the top six of the Premiership, with a top-class playing squad containing the likes of Gianfranco Zola and Marcel Desailly. However, its future was threatened by an estimated debt burden of £80 million. In 2003 he sold the club to Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich, making a £17million profit. After the takeover Bates was investigated by the FSA for allegedly owning undeclared shares in Chelsea Village plc, but the case was eventually dropped. [cite web |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,5339498-103,00.html |title=How watchdog inquiry left Bates unruffled |accessdate=2006-08-25 |date=25 November 2005 |work=David Conn |publisher=Guardian Unlimited ] He stayed on as club chairman until March 2004, when he announced his resignation. Within a couple of weeks of his departure he was back in the limelight as he wrote a one off column in the Bolton Wanderers matchday programme, ironically and somewhat incidentally against Chelsea.

FA and Wembley Stadium

Bates was an active member of the Football Association Executive and was involved in the early stages of the project to rebuild Wembley Stadium and was appointed chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd in 1997. He resigned in 2001, citing a lack of support from the board [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/search_for_a_new_wembley/1160115.stm |title=Bates quits Wembley project |accessdate=2006-08-18 |date=8 February 2001 |work=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC ] . Irked at the lack of progress, he later suggested that the best way to move the project forward was to shoot then-Minister for Sport, Kate Hoey. [cite web |url=http://www.soccernet.com/england/news/2001/0503/20010503bateshoey.html |title=Bates blasts interfering Hoey |accessdate=2006-08-18 |date=3 May 2001 |work=Richard Gibson |publisher=ESPN soccernet ]

Leeds United A.F.C.

In January 2005, after failing in a bid to invest in Sheffield Wednesday, Bates became the principal owner and chairman of then struggling Championship team, Leeds United purchasing 50% of the club. He was quoted as saying that he wanted "one last challenge".

Bates had a dispute with former club, Chelsea, having accused them of "tapping-up" three Leeds youth players, accusations denied by Chelsea. [cite web |url=http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=406536&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=&title=Bates+issues+Chelsea+ultimatum |title=Bates issues Chelsea ultimatum |accessdate=2006-08-18 |date=30 July 2006 |work=Alex Dunn |publisher=Sky Sports ] Chelsea in turn reported Bates to the FA for his comment that the current Chelsea directors are "a bunch of shysters from Siberia", an alleged anti-semitic remark about Abramovich, something denied by Bates. [cite web |url=http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=410518&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=&title=Blues+make+Bates+complaint |title=Blues make Bates complaint |accessdate=2006-08-18 |date=17 August 2006 |work=Simon Fudge |publisher=Sky Sports ] Upon hearing that Chelsea had reported him, Bates said "I haven’t laughed so much since Ma caught her tits in the mangle." [cite web |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1853064,00.html |title=Bates laughs off anti-semitic claims |accessdate=2006-08-25 |date=18 August 2006 |work=Paul Doyle |publisher=Guardian Unlimited ] The FA also agreed with Bates stating that he had no case to answer. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/5260994.stm |title=FA opts not to take Bates action |accessdate=2006-09-29 |date=29 September 2006 |work=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC ] His own club Leeds have themselves come under scrutiny after non-league team Farsley Celtic accused Leeds of improperly signing youngsters from them. [cite web |url=http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=46&ArticleID=1712083 |title=By the way Ken... |accessdate=2006-08-25 |date=22 August 2006 |work=Wendy Walker |publisher=Yorkshire Evening Post ] The case brought against Chelsea was eventually dropped after the two clubs agreed to a settlement privately. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/6094394.stm |title=Leeds agree to Chelsea settlement |accessdate=2006-10-31 |date=28 October 2006 |work=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC ]

Bates plans to eventually re-purchase Leeds' home stadium, Elland Road, and the Thorpe Arch training-ground. [cite web |url=hhttp://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Leeds-deny-ground-bid-.4159235.jp |title=Leeds deny ground bid |accessdate=2008-06-06 |date=06 June 2008 |work=Yorkshire Post]

In May 2007, with Leeds United entering administration, it was announced that KPMG acting as the administrator had agreed to sell the club to a newly-formed company called Leeds United Football Club Limited of which Bates is one of three directors. During the summer he became unpopular with groups of fans. Protests were held at games ordering the Chairman to resign.

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